ALPINA VENTO MID - classic shoes for high and low mountain

Slovenian brand Alpina has a special place in the heart of Bulgarian mountaineers from older generations. These were the only quality shoes for mountain, who were at that time imported from brotherly Yugoslavia. Footwear, different than mass worn Pioneers  and considered for luxury shoes - Dachstein at that time, shoes with almost cosmic view and features specially designed for mountain.

Lately, through its official importer , brand Alpina has been successfully returned to Bulgaria. With its moderate prices, high quality and variety of offers it takes place among the variety of brands at the Bulgarian market for hiking boots. In the three seasons class shoes, most frequently bought and used for light and medium heavy transitions from our mountaineers, Alpina have a very powerful weapon - the model  Vento Mid.

Shoes with classic look - with a very unobtrusive color and limited bright accents. The upper part is made of 2 mm thick gray-green nubuck (according to manufacturer's dark gray), combined with a thin leather, double stitches.

Tongue is made by softer leather, but with reinforcement in the front part.

The color chosen for the model is very nice and for lovers of soft earth tones like me in this point, the shoe is perfect, although it runs by modern trends and perhaps for the contemporary young mountaineer color may be negative edge. Beneath the surface lies the well-known SympaTex membrane with its unique properties. In many ways, this material is superior to many of the so-called membranes, because it has no real pores and it is just dense. Its driving force is the temperature gradient. From the warmer inside part of the shoe, moisture (sweat) is released from feet which is separated out like purely physical process. Outside part which is colder, the material does not accept the moisture and repels it.

And best of all, SympaTex  lasts up to 45,000 mm water column and retainsits qualities many years compared to three years maximum durability at popular membranes. An interesting accent inside the shoe is system VCP or Volume Control Plate, which is actually more precise insole specially adapted for left or right foot with the main objective to fit and to amplify the effect of tightening the leg. When needed, it can be removed and gives more volume in the shoe for users with massive feet.

Under the insole you can find the classic sole of  Vibram.

Size, shape and location of grapples on the outsole ensure excellent traction when moving on rough terrain. The special shape of the sole under the heel provides easy braking on steep slopes. Shallow and smoother grapple under the fingers provides better grip when climbing rocky terrain. Wide channels between treads allow water and dirt to drain, with the result of clean outsole and without reduction of adhesion with the pitch.

The rubber edge  is very important point in shoe structure. It goes around the shoe and even higher in the heel part. Unlike the common practice, this board is not only glued but also stitched to the rest of the shoe with strong double seam. 

Fixing system is classic with laces and open eyelets at the top.



Interesting point is the lack of eyelet hook type for ankle tension and instead of it, there is a band eyelet. This solution simplifies design and adds additional flexibility because the strap is integrated far out in nubuck and  distributes well pressure tension over a wider area. Laces themselves are cable type which I don`t like, but are quite soft and I am pleasantly surprised with its difficult unlace even in a serious push. Back of the shoe there is an eyelet for easy hanging.

Only they, along with ankle band loop and small label on the front of the tongue are red color and spoil the dark appearance of entire shoe. They are small enough and concealed under pants so it is easy to be ignored. The shoe weight is 607 grams for size 43

In actual tests, the shoe is really pretty "tough" and pefectly fits the leg. It's pretty hard for me, surprisingly hard, but it's definitely a plus in the rocky terrain of our high mountains. Legs are covered tight and feel stable like in winter class boots. Shoes are not slippery on snow and rough terrain, they are stable on snow, wet grass and stones.

I did a test on wet and snowy sidewalks of the city, but these shoes are definitely not for the city. Because of their strong construction, walking on asphalt is not their advantage.  After the purchase and before walking in the mountains a serious walk will be required, because of its hard construction, but after then they cover the legs as "gloved" and things fall into place. As I said above, despite cable type laces, there is no need of constant tightening. The soft structure of the lace itself, allows stable and tight binding. I definitely recommend this model to anyone who loves hiking in middle and high mountain, and looking for something healthy and quality for its feet.

Available in size from 6.5 to 14 or to size 49 Europеan standard.

In conclusion, I would note the following advantages of Vento Mid:
+ Very good price
+ High quality materials and craftsmanship
+ Classic design
+ Full protective rubber board

Cons are as following:
- Solid (hard) shoes, need careful size choice and required serious walk before hiking
- No color variety

http://adv-bulgaria.com/forum/main-category/%D0%BE%D0%B1%D1%83%D0%B2%D0%BA%D0%B8/3723-alpina-vento-mid-%D0%BA%D0%BB%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%B8%D1%87%D0%B5%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0-%D0%BE%D0%B1%D1%83%D0%B2%D0%BA%D0%B0-%D0%B7%D0%B0-%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%81%D0%BE%D0%BA%D0%B0-%D0%B8-%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0-%D0%BF%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0